HÀ NỘI — Shares ended Monday on a positive note as banks reacted to information that the new bad debt settlement resolution will likely be approved by the National Assembly this week.

The VN-Index on the HCM Stock Exchange increased 0.73 per cent to close at 766.83 points. The benchmark southern index expanded 1.5 per cent last week.

On the Hà Nội Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index gained 1.12 per cent to end at 99.41 points. The northern market index rose 1 per cent a week ago.

Bank stocks were the major contributor to the market rise as all nine listed lenders on the two exchanges gained value.

Nam Việt Bank (NVB), the smallest capitalised bank among nine listed banks, hit the maximum daily rise of 10 per cent for a second session on the Hà Nội Stock Exchange, closing at VNĐ10,300 a share. These shares have climbed 110 per cent since early this year.

Other banks such as Sài Gòn-Hà Nội Bank (SHB), Military Bank (MBB) and Sacombank (STB) increased 4.1 per cent, 2.7 per cent and 1.8 per cent, respectively. These shares have also increased substantially since the beginning of 2017.

Sài Gòn-Hà Nội Bank has gained 64 per cent compared to December 30 last year; Sacombank, up 50 per cent; and Military Bank up 48 per cent.

Three biggest listed banks including Vietcombank (VCB), Vietinbank (CTG) and BIDV (BID) rose by a more modest 0.5-1.5 per cent each.

According to Bảo Việt Securities Co, the National Assembly will likely approve the new bad debt settlement resolution this Wednesday. Only one issue remains unresolved surrounding the time frame, on which there are currently two perspectives. One is dealing with non performing loans (NPLs) ending December 31, 2016 and the other is applied to bad debts arising before 2016 as well as during the period in which the bad debt settlement resolution takes effect.

“With the high possibility that the resolution of bad debt will be approved, we think that the banking stocks may continue to gain momentum in the next two sessions. As a result, the overall performance of the indices will likely also receive substantial support,” Trần Hải Yến, a stock analyst at Bảo Việt Securities Co, wrote in a report on Monday.

Apart from banks, many other large-cap stocks picked up and contributed to the market rise, including Vinamilk (VNM), brewery Sabeco (SAB), Petrolimex (PLX), VinGroup (VIC), Saigon Securities Inc (SSI) and PV Gas (GAS).

“From our view, the overall market outlook is positive in the short-term,” Yến said, but warned about rising profit-taking pressure on large-cap stocks lacking supportive information.

Liquidity was positive with a total of 265.3 million shares worth a combined VNĐ5.1 trillion (US$224.1 million) traded on the two markets. — VNS